The Witch's Flat
by MagentaQuinn
Summary: Viola, at the mere age of thirteen, is taking care of a sickly ten year old named Ellen. They were modern nomads, breaking into flats and living off the food the permanent residents had stored. However, when a big eyed, big hearted orphan himself comes back and find them, he welcomes them with open arms. But can Small Eyes cope with a sickly murderer under his roof?
1. Chapter 1

Only lit by the light of the moon, the young girl brushed through her blonde hair, a hundred strokes on each side. Just like her mum taught her. She braided her hair, one braid on each side, and sighed, as she heard the crying. She cried day and night, some fits worse than others, but the pain was always there.

"Viola," I girl coughed out miserably. "Come to my room!"

"Coming, Ellen." She dashed to Ellen's bed, and kneeled down. She dabbed the sweat off of Ellen's forehead, and tucked her damp purple hair behind her ear. "Eat your porridge. You need strength."

"Okay." She took a few sips of the watery oats, before coughing again. "When are they coming back?"

"I've told you, next week. We still have six days to get out."

"I want to go back to my old house. In the forest."

"As long as you're with me, and as long as you're my friend, and as long as I care about you, you're not going back. That house was what made you sicker than before. You need someone to take care of you-"

"After I x-ed my parents."

Viola scrunched her face up, and continued feeding Ellen porridge. "I still don't like that word, but it's better than _kill_, I suppose." She dumped the porridge out the window, and kissed Ellen on the forehead. "Call me if you need me."

"Love you."

"Love you too." Viola took both of Ellen's hands, and recited a prayer she made each of them say each night. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take. Amen." Viola kissed Ellen again, and walked to her room.

Viola knew that Ellen's sickness couldn't be spread from Viola kissing her goodnight. Ellen had the same thing that her mother had, and died from. Viola didn't know what it was called, but Daddy said that a cell made it's way from her mother's brain from her lung, and tried to grow a new lung. Of course, as Viola grew older, she knew that this was not true, and her mother simply died of a brain tumour. Ellen, however, said her sickness wasn't like that. The cells in Ellen's bones multiplied too quickly. She called it ALL, because she said all that she could do was wait for her bones to take over all her body.

"Never speak to me again."

Viola's blood ran cold and her muscles tensed. All of her joints locked, yet she sprang up, and ran as silent as a mouse to Ellen's room.

"Come on Howard. 'snt _that _bad!"

"WE'RE NEVER ALLOWED BACK IN DISNEYLAND PARIS!"

"Okay, so, I might have messed up."

Viola threw herself over Ellen, who barely stirred, just wheezed. The only thing that could wake her up was sunlight.

"You called out Princess Jasmine-"

"_Prince_ Jasmine, Howard."

"- for being a man."

Viola started weeping as she heard the footsteps grow nearer and nearer. The door creaked open . . .

"But she was Howard! You could totally tell she was a drag queen!" The sound of dropping luggage emanated around the room, and rang in everyone's ears. "Hello?"

Viola fumbled for the knife Ellen kept under her pillow. Ellen had always said, if Viola ever needed to kill another human, she should kill them with that knife. Ellen had explained that because she had killed a witch and wizard with it, it could forever kill a mere human. After Viola got a hold of the knife, she shot up like a dolphin performing tricks, and her eyes were just as mad. "Not one step closer. I- I'll shoot. Or, uh, stab you."

"Bring it on," shouted the moustached one, but the girly-boy held him back.

"You're not really gonna fight a girl, are you 'oward? I mean . . . you won't win! She's got a knife!"

Viola got off the bed, shaking. Vince stepped back, closed the door, and kneeled down. He crawled to her, but she was shaking too hard to notice. Finally, she dropped the knife, put her head in her hands, and started sobbing. "I'm sorry . . . I'm so sorry. We will leave, right now, I- I-"

"We? Who's we?"

Viola shot up again, and stumbled backward to the bed. Ellen moaned as Viola hit it. "No- No one."

"Is this your sister?"

"That's it," said the moustached one. "I'm calling the police. Let them sort it out."

"No!" Viola dabbed the sweat off of Ellen's forehead with a tissue. "I wanted to. But we couldn't. Because Ellen's parents didn't love her because of her sickness, she moved into a house in the woods. Mummy died from the same sickness, so I wanted to take care of Ellen. So I ran away from Dad. I took care of Ellen ever since she was almost eight. Daddy didn't like Ellen. He wouldn't let me stay with her if the police took us. Please, we'll leave!"

"What's her sickness?"

"She wouldn't tell me. No one would tell me. I was five when Mummy died from it, and ten when I started taking care of Ellen."

"Oh," said the girly-boy. "Did your father say anything about it?"

"He said that a cell made it's way from Mummy's lung onto her brain. And then it got confused, and started making another lung. But I think it's something like a tumour?"

"That's brain cancer . . ." mumbled the mustached one.

"Where do you live," asked the girly-boy.

"Nowhere. Wherever I can find a bed for Ellen. We found the shop, and the back door was unlocked, and there was a schedule, and you guys weren't supposed to be back 'til next week."

"What's your name?"

"Viola."

"My name's Vince. You know, you're very lucky, Viola. When I was young, even younger than you were, I lived in India. But I didn't have a house, like you guys don't have a house. Except they're aren't many houses in India. I lived in a hut made out of bus tickets. I was raised by a bunch of animals, like in The Jungle Book. When I was found, someone wanted to call the cops, but I made them not. The animals told me stories about mean families, like Cinderella. I didn't want to go into that, and I know you don't want to either. I know how hard this is, Viola. Why don't you and her stay the night here? You can sleep in bed with Ellen."

"I don't want to."

"And I don't want you to go back out on the streets. So you're staying here."

"But I-"

"No buts. In the bed Viola. I lived like you guys are from the time I was born from the time I was twelve."

"I'm thirteen."

"Oh. How old's Ellen?"

"She's ten."

"Wow. She can't go out, it's much to cold."

"But I-"

"If it's for the best of Ellen, won't you stay here?"

Viola looked, heartbroken, at the wheezing Ellen. "For Ellen, I'll stay here. Thank you . . . Vince."


	2. Chapter 2

"Vince, what the _hell _was that?" Howard gripped Vince's arm and tugged him out of the bedroom. "There are two little girls sleeping in my bed right now."

"Yes, one of them has _cancer _and the other didn't have a childhood."

"She started taking care of the purple one-"

"Ellen."

"She started taking care of Ellen when she was ten."

"Her mother died when she was five, so she had to nurse her through brain cancer. Then she had to nurse her father through what I can only guess was drunken abuse."

"What?"

"Her nose. Noses don't get shaped like this naturally Howard, and bullies don't get that mean until you're at least sixteen."

"I don't want them in our room. I don't want them in our house."

"Howard. She has _cancer_. They're homeless, they're in need of our care. She has cancer, Howard!"

"Then get Naboo to fix her up with a potion. Spike her tea."

"Do you not care about her?"

"No, because I don't know her. I don't know who she is, I don't know if this is just a plan to kill and rob us. Vince, I can't lose you. So I can't risk everyone in the flat being murdered."

"Okay. But I believe them. You don't know what hell it is not knowing where you're going to sleep the next night. So I'm going to Naboo, and seeing if we can offer them a bed."

"Vince-"

"Listen. I don't care if they're murderers. Viola clearly cares for Ellen. And she's on the edge. She threatened to kill us, but she backed down. She couldn't kill us, 'oward. Ellen barely even moved while our conversation was going on. I'm gonna go to Boolio for a cure. Make yourself comfy in my bed."

"In _your _bed?"

"Get off it. Just for tonight."

"Vince, I've seen you sleep. You spoon a pillow and cling on for dear life."

"Yeah, and I'll be spooning a pillow. I won't cuddle with you, if that's what you're worried about." Vince grinned, and started down the hall cheekily. "Naboo! Boolio!" He dashed into the kitchen. "Alright. Imma needa cuppa, and a potion for cancer or some shit like that. Chemotherapy in a bottle."

"Sure."

That's what Vince loved about Naboo, he never asked questions. "Thanks Naboo."

"Sure thing."

Vince stared at the tea. "This is just-"

"Tea? Yeah, I know. You have to shoot up the cancer stuff, you ball bag. Especially for Ellen. I can smell the leukemia from here." He scrunched up his nose.

"What? I- Just . . . what?"

"I'm a shaman, remember? I can smell that stuff. And I have pretty good hearing, so that's how I know her name." He put a syringe up on the counter. "Should fix her up before the morning. I'll wake you at twenty before sunrise."

"Ugh, can't it be noon?"

"You want to get up before Howard so you can offer them a place to stay, right?" Naboo sighed. "Come on Vince, I know you. I'm fine with them, as long as you pay rent for one extra person, since there's two children."

"Brilliant, Naboo, you're a diamond!" He grabbed the needle, forgetting about the tea, and crept into the room, smiling at Howard, who had passed out. He always got tired after traveling. The tiptoed in the room, and snuck up to Ellen. Viola was clinging onto her for dear life. He managed to pry one of Ellen's hand's out of Viola's, and found a vein. "Sorry," he whispered, and pushed the plunger.

Ellen stirred all through her sleep, and Vince couldn't sleep for that fact. He was so worried that Naboo had messed up the potion. But Naboo never messed up. He was the best shaman Vince knew. He was the only shaman Vince knew, besides the crazy one who tried to kill him unless he Frenched Howard.

Once Vince finally did settle into a fairly constant REM cycle, what Howard said rang true- Vince spooned him and clinged to him like Jack clang to Rose. Neither Vince nor Howard, who was partially awake, minded.


	3. Chapter 3

Naboo slapped Vince, letting the crack radiate through the room. No one woke up. "Vince!" Naboo shook him, and Vince finally opened his eyes. "Thirty minutes 'til sunrise."

"Kay." Vince yawned loudly, and walked over to Ellen and Viola. Naboo had disappeared.

Ellen was soaked in sweat. Literally _soaked_. Like she had just been dunked in water. So was Viola, and the pillows, and the sheets, and pretty much everything around the bed.

Vince waited on his knees for sunrise, and as Viola said, Ellen woke up at sunrise. Viola shot up about ten seconds after Ellen yawned. Viola rubbed her eyes, yawned, and then gasped when she saw Vince. "Vince! We'll get out, right now, I'll pack up."

He grabbed her arm, and she gasped lightly. "Viola. My friend, Naboo, is a shaman. Do you know what that is?"

"No."

"He's magical. And he makes potions. And he gave me one to cure Ellen of her leukemia."

"How do you know what I have," asked Ellen, behind them both. "I never even told Viola."

"Ellen, get up and walk."

"She can't walk, have to carry her."

"No. Ellen, walk."

Viola gasped as Ellen sat herself up for the first time in years. She put her shaky little deer legs on the ground, stumbled, but walked. "Oh my God," she said to no one, in an almost silent voice. It was still better than yesterday, when you could barely understand her screaming. "I- My legs- How?"

"It's hard to believe, but magic cured you."

"What the hell did you do Vince? She's a witch. She's tried magic."

"My friend's a shaman, I told you guys. And you're too young to be saying that, Viola."

Ellen was stumbling around like Bambi. "This is a lucid dream, isn't it." It wasn't even a question, she stated it matter of factually. "I don't want to wake up. It's been a while sense I dreamed I wasn't sick." She giggled, then gasped. "Oh, this is lovely! It's hurt when I laughed sense I was, what, seven? I got caught in the smoke for a while, it burned my throat. The spell I cast only made it worse. I was young then, naive."

"Ellen, love, you're not dreaming. Look in a mirror."

"No, you're never supposed to do that in dreams. You see the real you."

"Ellen. Pinch yourself. Get Viola to slap you. And then slap Viola, because it's not a dream for her either. You're actually healthy. Would you like to meet my shaman friend?"

"Sure."

They walked out into the hallway, and Vince saw how short Ellen really was. The sickness had stunted her growth. Ellen only came up to Vince's rib cage, while Viola came up to his ear. He was a little short, she was a little tall.

"Naboo?" They all approached the short South-London Shaman hesitantly. "Could you show Ellen some of your powers?"

"Sure." He kneeled down, but it's not like he had to kneel that far. "Hana, tori, cho, taiyo yori mo akaruku kagayaku shoujo, anata no gifuto o motarasu." He grinned as a box appeared out of thin air, and Ellen gasped.

"What's in it?"

"I dunno. Something vegan."

Ellen gasped in delight as she opened the box, and pulled out a lovely doll. "This is the best dream ever!"

Viola finally sighed, and sat Ellen down on the floor. "Ellen, love, I don't think you're dreaming. This is the real life, babe."

"So... I can... walk. Huh. Okay." She continued stroking the doll's head.

"Ellen, how long has it been sense you've had a bath?"

"Viola washes me off with a rag, and every year I take a proper bath."

"Okay, Naboolio, why don't you show her to the wash room."

Naboo nodded, and took Ellen away. Vince sat down on the bar stool, and looked Viola in the eye. "Viola. We cured Ellen, and you, in return, need to do something for us. Move in with us, Viola. Really. You'll be off the streets, you'll have a nice home, and this is the only place you can make sure you won't have to go back to your father."

"You don't want us Vince."

"Of course we do!"

"Listen, Vince." She sighed. "You really don't. When Ellen was seven... she killed her parents, then set the house on fire. Because they didn't _love _her."

"We love her."

"Her parents did too. But they fought all the time, and her mother left, and her father was a drunk. So she murdered them. If you and your bumming buddy Howard fight, it's the end of you. Do you really want that?"

"We're not together."

"Sure." She rolled her eyes. "Do you feel like getting killed?"

"We can show her that we love her, and easy as a snap of the fingers. I never got affection as a child either, and I grew up planning to give my child a thousand times the amount of love I got."

"A thousand times zero is zero."

"I... shut up. I helped cure her. I think she already likes me." Vince sighed. "I can't have kids."

"It's because you're gay, right."

"No!"

Viola put her hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow higher than what Vince thought possible. "Hm?"

"Okay, fine, I'm gay." He sighed, not making eye contact with her. "You two are more than I could ever ask for."

"I don't want another father. Noses aren't shaped like this naturally. But you know, don't you?" She ran her thumb over his flat nose. "But you look enough like a woman to pass as a mum, don't you?" She smiled, curling her fingers in his hair.


	4. Chapter 4

"VINCENT NOIR. WE CAN NOT TAKE IN TWO HOMELESS WITCHES."

"I'm not a witch, you berk. Ellen's the witch. I'm as mortal as your eyes are small."

"Come on 'oward! This might be my only chance to have children Howard. They won't get in your way, I promise, I just- I- They want to stay. And I know how it is not to have a family. And I want to give them what I never had. And in giving them what I never had, I get what I never had. It makes no sense, I know, but... I just want to be a parent."

"It's not your only chance to have children, Vince, don't go off on that 'I will always be alone' kick again."

"It's not that easy Howard."

"Adoptions really hard to get into," added Naboo.

"Adoption?"

"Yeah. I don't really have a working uterus, now do I?" Vince laughed.

"Then maybe you should find a woman."

"That won't really work now, will it?" Vince laughed.

"Oh my God," said Viola, covering her mouth. "I don't think he knows you're gay."

"YOU'RE GAY?"

They all stared at Howard is disbelief. "Yeah..." Vince burst into laugher.

"There's a giant pink dildo in his bedside table, Howard."

"Why were you looking in my bedside table?"

Viola ignored the question. "Okay, besides the giant dildo... _on_ his on his bedside table is a _GALLON _of Astroglide."

"So I slept in bed last night with a gay man? Great."

"Oh get over yourself. You fancy me, I don't fancy you." There was a somewhat awkward silence for about ten seconds. "Now's the time where you would deny that, but I'm very amused that you're not."

"Sometimes you look so much like a woman that I don't know any more."

"And you're _not _bumming?"

"No."

"What's bumming," asked Ellen, all of a sudden, peering up at Viola with her giant hazel eyes. She looked so innocent, never mind she was a murderer, she looked like a toddler.

"When two people love each other very much," started Vince, "they hug, and they kiss, and then the boy puts his boy parts up their boyfriend or girlfriend's bum."

"Oh. Okay!" she made a rather contented face, and continued combing her doll's hair.

"Really, Howard." He walked to the cabinet, and stood on his tip toes to reach the highest shelf. He grabbed blindly, not being able to find what he was looking for. "I know my brain cell told you I swing both ways, but that was years ago. I was really just lying to myself. And come on, when I was with guys and girls, I was still a _total _slopabottumus. Ah!" He pulled down the jar of Nutella from where Howard had tried to hide it. "Really. I'm a bit of a twink as well. Well, I'm a giant twink."

"Don't just stick a spoon in there."

Vince grinned and giggled as he licked the Nutella of his spoon in a painfully obscene way. He held the spoon out to Howard, who declined. "Well then stop looking at me like that. The only way you're allowed to stare at me like that is if I'm licking Nutella of your dick." Vince giggled. "Really, though, it's not that hard to tell I'm a massive gayist." Vince winked at Howard.

"You've always just seemed like a woman to me, not gay."

"Okay Howard. This will probably be the last time I ever show you this. Viola, cover Ellen's eyes." Vince fiddled around in his bag pocket before he pulled out a condom, and ran and got a banana. He tore the wrapper off the condom, put it in his mouth, and started to deep throat the banana. When he pulled it out, the condom was on it perfectly. "Eh? Name one woman that can do _that_."

"I- I'm very uncomfortable with this, Vince."

"Are you not comfortable enough with your sexuality?"

"No, I just don't want to witness your's first hand."

Vince winked at him again. "You've got to loosen up Howard! Really."

Howard rolled his eyes, walked around the counter, refused to make eye contact with Vince, and sighed. "Fine."

"Fine you'll loosen up?"

"Fine... keep the kids. Keep them out of my hair."

Vince and Ellen squealed, and then ran to hug Howard. Howard smiled at the top of Vince's head, and rested his forehead on it. 'Gay,' Howard thought. 'Well, this might work out after all.'


	5. Chapter 5

After a week, Viola and Ellen clearly learned where they fit in. Viola prefered being with Howard, where they would listen to jazz, discuss fine cheeses, and compose classical pieces until ten at night, when they were both too tired to stay up a moment later. Ellen, on the other hand, fit in better with Vince, where they would rock out to glam rock and electro, discuss dreamy celebrities, and stay up all night, then slept until noon.

They had fit into the roles very well, actually. Viola was the caretaker. Howard was the caretaker. They were both always mature for their age. On the other hand, Ellen and Vince always needed someone to take care of them. But there was a distance between all of them. Viola couldn't cope with Ellen murdering her parents. Howard couldn't cope with Vince being gay.

One particular morning, while Howard and Viola were playing the piano together, and Ellen and Vince were playing dolls, the distance was the Berlin Wall. Not only was there a wall, but a hundred metre gap in between two walls where you got snipered if you tried to cross. Ellen was the only one who thought the Wall was just a field of daisies.

"Vi? 'oward? You guys wanna play dollies? Vince has to play two guys, and I have to play two girls, plus there's a talking doggie. He's the English Pig Dog." Ellen giggled, even though she had no idea what Monty Python even was. "Cos there's Erika, and she's the head of the house. She's completely mad, I think she kills people. And then there's Anneliese, who's really proper and blonde and stuffs. And then the guys are Ken, because he's just a normal Barbie guy, and then there's Ryan, who has a hat that I think is glued to his head." She was a typical girl, only giving the female dolls personalities. Vince tried to make his own, but she wouldn't let him half the time.

"No, we're fine Ellen," said Viola, who was uncomfortable with a serial killer doll. "But I shouldn't speak for Howard."

"Howard doesn't want to play dolls with us, Ellen. He doesn't like the two men kissing."

"I might happen to enjoy men kissing, thank you, I just don't want to kiss _you_."

"So you're gay then?" Vince grinned cheekily at him. He was tensed like a cat ready to pounce.

"Everyone's a bit gay, aren't they? No, I believe in the concept of soul mates, Vince. And I'd be happy wit ha male or a female, female or male, because it's what Lady Fate wanted."

"But that ought to be hard for you. I could go over there, kiss you on the cheek, and you'd propose. You fall for any person who gives you the least bit of affection."

"Gregg gave me affection."

"Gregg ain't a person, is he?" Vince laughed. "Really Howard. It's always the same."

"No it's not! I can prove it!" He kissed Viola on the cheek.

"Okay, one, I know you're not a paedophile. Two, you gave _her _affection."

"Then someone give me affection!" He looked around the empty shop. "Alright Vince. Seduce me."

"Get lost old man. I can do better than you."

"Please, I'm the best you'll ever get. Eventually, you'll want someone to listen to jazz with, not dance with."

"Is that how you chat people up? _'I am the best you will ever get?'_ That's not a good technique." But he still got off of his knees, walked to the piano. "Stand up." He hated that he didn't wear heels that day. Howard was a lot taller than him.

Vince tilted his head slightly, and ran the pad of his thumb over his moustache. The only time he had kissed someone with facial hair was when he had kissed Howard before. Vince tilted his head even more, and finally bridged the ever-shrinking gap between their spirits. The kiss started out as just a little peck, and then it got deeper, and deeper. Vince pulled Howard's hair lightly, and finally broke away. It was too long for Viola to be comfortable.

"And I'm not in love with you."

"I might be slightly in love with you... where did you learn to kiss like _that_?"

"Natural talent, I suppose." He grinned, and Vince walked away.

"Vince? I'm hungry."

"You know, Howard, I am too. Do you want anything?"

"No. Thank you anyway."

"Alright." Everyone but Howard walked upstairs to the kitchen. "Wow."

"What," asked Vince, getting the Nutella for Ellen.

"You totally fancy Howard!"

"Yeah, a bit, what about you?"

"DUDE!" Viola groaned. "This is huge!"

"Not really Viola, hard to break it to you. Been in love with him for a while."

"You're in _love _with him?"

"A bit, yeah."

"You can't just be in love with somewhat a _bit_."

"I'm completely and irrevocably in love with him. Happy?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Let me put this in terms you'll understand... ah. 'It's kind of tough to tell a scruff the big mistake he's making!' You see what I'm saying?"

"That Howard can't see what big mistake he's making by not being with me. But the line before that, 'So what's the point of robbery when nothing is worth taking?', symbolizes that he doesn't think my heart is worth taking. He always used to comment on how the girls I brought home didn't deserve my heart."

"Of course your heart is worth taking!"

"Now you're just getting annoying. _Howard _can't see my heart is worth taking. He always used to say the girls were too good for my heart. And he's not even gay."

"He might have just been saying that because _he _wants your heart."

"You think I never thought of that? I've tested it many times, and nothing happens."

"He wanted you to kiss him!"

"That's just something blokes do."

"On what planet?" Viola shook her head at Ellen, who even at ten, knew more than Vince. "And he said that he'd be fine if his soulmate was a guy. Vince... you might be his soul mate."

"No, I _am _his soul mate."

"How do you know?"

"His mother told me." Vince couldn't make eye contact with Viola. He just watched Ellen eat the chocolate spread.

"Isn't his mother dead?"

Vince wiped a bit off of Ellen's cheek, and stuck it in his mouth. "Yep." He sighed. "I was raised in the jungles of India. I'm a wild animal, and that's why I can talk to them. And wild animals can talk to ghosts."

Ellen dropped her spoon out of shock, and eyed Viola uneasily.


End file.
